I am looking at a swarovski z6 2.5-15x56mm scope but I am wandering if I should go with the same scope only in a 44m obj. Whats yalls thoughts? I want the best scope possible for low light conditions thats my biggest reason for leaning towards the 56mm obj.

The 44mm will be more than adequate for most legal hunting hours. If you are planning hunting hogs or other varmints at night, 56mm is probably a better choice. It would be for me, but most people want a smaller scope.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

Thanks for the input. I am kinda leaning to the 56mm, my thinking is go big the first time and not worry about it but I have read the deal concerning the fact that the human eye can only handle so much light and that you wont actually use all the light the 56mm provides argument. With that being said it made me question my thought. Plus the sample list has a 44mm with an ill reticle which made me think about it as well. The ill isnt that a must it was just a thought

Exteme low light means different things to different people.. if you are talking about the last few minutes of hunting time in virtually every state in the Union... probably not, if you have reasonably good eyes. You would only notice at highest scope powers and at 15x... it would not be a game changer for me. I would be more inclined to go with the IR. Now, if you are hunting in moonlight... 56 would be best, but I wouild probably still opt for the IR. At 10x you still have plenty of "exit pupil" and that scope transmits plenty of light. The bigger advantage would be clearly seeing the reticle. But that's me. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the big objectives... I have the 6-24x72 Hensoldt... nothing compares, I have a number of 56mm objective scopes... but they all have IR. For the most part, if I had been left with a choice of smaller objective with IR or no IR with the larger objective, I would probably have gone with the IR. The scopes all have excellent "low end" IR and that makes the difference.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

The 44mm objective scope will be fine if you simply dial the power down to brighten the scope in low light. As the light gets dark you are going to have to reduce the distance you expect to effectively engage a target at so if you can work at 6x and hit something at 200 yds then I see less reason to go to the 56mm objective because the 44mm will lay closer to the rifle and give you a better cheekweld. Personally I really like a 50mm objective and even the 56mm objective would not bother me but some guys are fanatics about having the scope as low as possible. I do like an illuminated reticle and have a couple of Trijicon scopes that I like very much because they run tritium + fiber optic where most systems are battery powered. If all of your scopes are currently small objective scopes you have to give some consideration to if you will feel that the 56mm is too bulky or if that is something that would not bother you. I tend to think that Swarovski reticles are on the fine side so an illuminated reticle is probably more important in low light than many other factors.

"Always do the right thing, just because it is the right thing to do".Bobby Paul DohertyTexas Ranger

Ok thats some more good info thanks I appreciate it. I feel most of my shots in the low light conditions will be in the 100 yd range, so the smaller objective should work. I dont think the size of the 56mm is a turn off for me, because I am currently running leupold vxlll 3.5-15x50mm. This is turning out to be a hard decision, I had my sights set on the 56mm but now I am having to stop and consider the illuminated reticle. I sure wish the samplelist had a 56mm with the IR it would make the decision easier.

If looking at <300 yard shots in dawn and dusk shooting conditions, the 42mm with IR will satisfy all your needs.

And, if your eyes are good, just because you don't have maximum available exit pupil doesn't mean there is any detriment there. I find that if I have EP of around 3, it is outstanding. 2 useable, 1 still useable. I test my scopes in all light conditions, because I like to test things. IR, done well, is a huge advantage. If you can see the target, but not the reticle... there IS a problem. Finding the reticle with time to make the shot can also be a problem.

If you are talking legal hunting hours, I am quite certain you will be amazed with the smaller objective with IR.

Now, I have a Voere Shikar in 300WM with a Meopta Meostar R1 3-12 with 4b reticle, not illuminated. The Meopta glass is excellent and with the 56mm objective, I've not experienced any negatives. That is a pure hunting rifle and I will most likely never hunt hogs with it... that's what zombie guns are for... so I will never be concerned with hunting in conditions that push the envelope of the scope. I've tested it on numerous occasions and it is good for ALL legal hunting hours... and well beyond. If there is a moon, it's good... I wish there had been one of these with IR, but was not available... and it would mostly go unused.

Opinion,untempered by fact,is ignorance.

There are some who do not fear death... for they are more afraid of not really living

In most hunting situations even at first or last shooting light, dialing down magnification has always been a good option and 2.5 to 6X is plenty appropriate as it's getting dark. You have to ask yourself, especially in cold climates, do I really want to shoot an animal so far away that I need more than 6X when night's coming on? Retrieval, field dressing, etc. get to be a pain in the dark...at least in snowy, rugged terrain 3 miles from the nearest road.

In most hunting situations even at first or last shooting light, dialing down magnification has always been a good option and 2.5 to 6X is plenty appropriate as it's getting dark. You have to ask yourself, especially in cold climates, do I really want to shoot an animal so far away that I need more than 6X when night's coming on? Retrieval, field dressing, etc. get to be a pain in the dark...at least in snowy, rugged terrain 3 miles from the nearest road.

You have to ask yourself, especially in cold climates, do I really want to shoot an animal so far away that I need more than 6X when night's coming on? Retrieval, field dressing, etc.

That's a very good point and everybody should think long and hard along those lines before pulling the trigger--in any situation.

However, quite often this answer certainly can be "yes." It's all about the conditions. Especially in decent weather, in open territory where one can keep an eye on the spot the animal was standing as well as the animal itself if it goes anywhere after the shot, I see nothing wrong with it. That's when the best hunting is.

This is really the biggest reason I favor 50mm objectives for hunting. Many seem to envision big objectives as being at home in the thick, dark woods...but I find for those conditions where you're usually in the 2.5-6X range, 42's get the job done pretty well. It's when you want to reach way out there while being able to see well enough you know you're not shooting the wrong thing that there's just no substitute for a larger objective so you can crank up the power.

For this particular scope I would feel 44mm on the small side but 56mm may be bigger than necessary. I really feel 50 is the sweet spot for this power range. But if low light performance in open territory is a priority, I would suggest the 56. If you never use more than 10X or so while hunting, the 44 should do fine.

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